I have a friend who works in Hollywood who once told me that celebrity actors, particularly struggling ones, often like to float rumors about themselves in order to create interest. If you slap your name on enough rumors, it might even trigger a thought in one of the animatronic suits that run Hollywood studios. He even knew of a few specific examples, which I won't reveal so as not to betray confidences. In any respect, that certainly seems what Megan Fox is trying to do of late. After she was fired or left Transformers 3 (depending on whose account you believe), there have been a number of rumors attaching Fox to high-profile projects. And after three straight bombs (Jennifer's Body, Jonah Hex, Passion Play), those rumors are the only thing keeping her name afloat.

We'll start with the most recent and, perhaps, most absurd: A rumor, floated by a "Hollywood Insider," which suggests that Fox is courting the role of Bat Girl. Not a Bat Girl in a Christopher Nolan movie, mind you. A Bat Girl in her own stand-alone film. Somebody's publicist clearly knows how to get a clients name out in the world: The mere mention of a bat character is enough to ensure a day's coverage on the pop-culture blogs. And look! It worked. I'm writing about it here, even if it is to suggest that Fox's publicist be a little less transparent by, say, floating rumors that she's involved with movies that she actually has a shot to be cast in, like Garfield 3: Pussy Whipped or Thomas Kinkade's Portrait Above Your Toilet.

Before Bat Girl, of course, there was a more grave rumor drifting about that Fox was up for the role of Carrie in a remake of the Stephen King movie. That one was also floated by "someone close to Megan Fox," who claimed that the actress was looking to star in "more serious roles." And of course, the way to gain goodwill for your client is to associate her name with a movie that no one wants remade. If Fox really wanted to be considered for more serious roles, she should float a rumor that she's involved in the cancer movie, Megan Fox, Die of It.

There was also that rumor a while back involving the Buffy the Vampire Slayer remake (without Joss Whedon's involvement)? Remember that? Remember the blister in your brain that you had to have removed? Good times! That movie is in development, and apparently, an unknown source purportedly said that Fox's name was being thrown around as Buffy. Whedon Nation would die. Seriously, the servers over at Whedonesque would melt and Whedon fans everywhere would start suffocating studio execs with their brown coats.

It's not always been this way, of course. There was a time when Megan Fox's publicist main job was disassociating her name from particular projects. In fact, before she was dumped from Transformers 3, Megan Fox's publicist was the master of turning down roles for which she was probably never considered in the first place. Remember the 2009 rumor that suggested Megan Fox would be the next Bond girl? How do you turn that denial into a bitchy positive? Ask Fox's publicist, who said that Fox turned down that role because "she wanted a bigger part." That same year, Fox was purportedly offered the role of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider reboot. That reboot Is in development, but according to Fox's rep, she was not involved. Somehow, I think in 2011 Megan Fox's rep would be all too happy to help foster that rumor. "What movie? Tomb Raider? Oh, yes. Yes! Of course, she's attached. Are there any other rumors you need me to confirm? What's that? They're remaking Gorillas in the Mist? Oh, I knew that. Megan received the script last night. She's mulling over the offer."

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here or follow him on Twitter.